In automatic sausage production, filling machines are normally used. Such filling machines introduce sausage meat through a filling tube into a sausage casing. To this end the sausage casing is directly positioned in a loosely folded state on the filling tube or in a corresponding sleeve which is slid over the filling tube. In general, a so-called skin brake or a brake ring is positioned at the end of the filling tube. After ejection of a sausage meat portion from the filling tube, which portion corresponds to an individual sausage, the sausage casing is twisted off with the help of the brake ring gear or a twist-off device. To press the sausage meat through the filling tube, a corresponding filling unit is used that conveys the sausage meat into the filling tube. Such a filling machine is e.g. described in European patent application 0 232 812. The sausage meat can be ejected intermittently or also continuously, particularly in connection with a coextrusion method.
Two twist-off methods which are used during simultaneous filling and twisting off are in principle known on the market.
In the first known method, the skin casing and a twist-off sleeve are rotated with the support of a brake rubber. In this method the skin casing which is positioned between the rotating or stationary brake rubber and the rotating filling nozzle is rotated. To ensure the entry of the twist-off point in the sausage strand, the sausage to be twisted off must simultaneously be retained to prevent rotation. The sausage can be retained by hand, by conveyor belts, transport chains, rollers, skin guiding tube or length portioning device.
A further possibility consists in rotating a twist-off sleeve, as known in a second method. In this method the already filled skin is rotated on the outer diameter by means of a twist-off sleeve. Likewise, as is not separately shown in FIG. 9, a support is required. In the case of sensitive sausage casings the filling nozzle must additionally be rotated.
The two known methods described above have the drawback that caliber-dependent shaped parts, here: brake rubber or twist-off sleeve, are needed.